Hyundai is set to unveil a real showstopper at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week, with the first look of the breathtaking Hyundai CCS.

The CCS, which stands for Coupe Cabriolet Study, is the work of Hyundai's Frankfurt-based Research and Development Centre and renowned convertible specialists Karmann, and is based on Hyundai's popular Coupe 2+2.

The attraction of the CCS has to be its unique three-phase slide-and-fold roof - at the touch of a button the driver can switch from a glass roof, to an open roof to a full convertible.

If the weather is changeable, the driver can retract the glass sliding roof back over the rear window (by going over the rear window, headroom is not compromised) - the side supports remain in place so should the weather change, the roof can slide back quickly into position.

Changing to a full convertible just requires the press of a second button, which folds in the rear screen, and retracts the roof in a way that still gives maximum luggage space.

The folding roof system is an advance over previous convertible systems, as it requires fewer pivot points. Including all the hydraulic and electrical components, the weight increase over the regular Coupe is just 140kg. Hyundai believes solar panels could easily be worked into the structure of the CCS roof design in the future.

While sharing the stylish look of the hardtop Coupe, the CCS features new 18 inch wheels with Michelin 225/40x18 tyres, as well as new front and rear light clusters.

The interior has also received special treatment, with brown leather Recaro seats, an eight-way adjustment and memory operation. The CCS also has an excellent sound system - a 280W combination of Becker hardware linked to Infinity speakers.

The usual problem with convertible cars - lack of boot space - does not apply to the CCS. It has an impressive 443 litres of boot capacity with the roof closed, 244 litres with it folded away.

The CCS uses a 2.7 litre V6 engine generating 165 bhp@6000 rpm, and a six-speed Aichi gearbox - both seen in the popular current Coupe 2.7 V6.

Currently the CCS is a concept car, but if public reaction is favourable it stands a realistic chance of making it into production.

The Car Enthusiast will be travelling to the 2003 Frankfurt Show in September so look out for our review linked from the main Motor Shows page.

Hyundai news release - 1 Sep 2003